Wireless communication can be used as a means of accessing a communication network. Wireless communication has certain advantages over wired communications for accessing a network. For example, implementing a wireless interface can eliminate a need for a wired infrastructure, thereby reducing the cost of building and maintaining network infrastructure. As the use wireless communication gains in popularity, network operators are seeking technically efficient and cost effective methods for providing reliable wireless services to their users.
In order to meet increasing network demands associated with wireless communications, small cells may be deployed in many areas where wired backhaul connections are unavailable, or expensive. One method of providing economical backhaul links between a core network, (or backbone network) and the access nodes at the ‘edge’ of a wireless network is to form a mesh network to carry backhaul traffic.